Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter rival, Bluesky, faces user scrutiny for allowing racial slurs

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky is facing ongoing challenges with its moderation efforts as users express their intention to leave the platform in protest due to its failure to identify and flag offensive slurs used in account usernames.

A number of users, particularly those from Black communities, are disappointed with Blue Sky’s lack of an apology for allowing racial slurs to bypass their moderation tools, despite such slurs being in violation of the platform’s community guidelines.

Users brought attention to an account last week with a racial slur as its username. Despite being active for 16 days, it was not flagged until users reported it. Bluesky took action promptly and removed the account on the same day it was reported.

Some users on GitHub noticed that several racist, ableist, and transphobic slurs were removed from the list of prohibited words for usernames.

Bluesky has faced widespread criticism and user dissatisfaction due to its mishandling of the slur filter issue, leading to a significant number of users threatening to abandon the platform in protest.

The day following the protest and threats of user departures, Bluesky responded by announcing revisions to its terms of service and community guidelines.

In a post, the company stated that the community guidelines now explicitly prohibit users from using the platform to engage in illegal activities or cause harm to others.

Additionally, users are expected to treat others with respect, and Bluesky strictly prohibits any conduct that targets individuals based on their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation. These updates aim to reinforce a safer and more inclusive environment on the platform.

“User handles that are slur words are a form of harassment. We have deployed a change so that these handles can no longer be created in the app,” Bluesky said in a post.

This incident adds to the company’s existing criticism for its delayed response to hate speech and threats targeting marginalised groups.

“Our community guidelines published yesterday reflect our values for a healthy community, and we are working on becoming better stewards every day,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber said in a post on Saturday.

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Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky is facing ongoing challenges with its moderation efforts as users express their intention to leave the platform in protest due to its failure to identify and flag offensive slurs used in account usernames.

A number of users, particularly those from Black communities, are disappointed with Blue Sky’s lack of an apology for allowing racial slurs to bypass their moderation tools, despite such slurs being in violation of the platform’s community guidelines.

Users brought attention to an account last week with a racial slur as its username. Despite being active for 16 days, it was not flagged until users reported it. Bluesky took action promptly and removed the account on the same day it was reported.

Some users on GitHub noticed that several racist, ableist, and transphobic slurs were removed from the list of prohibited words for usernames.

Bluesky has faced widespread criticism and user dissatisfaction due to its mishandling of the slur filter issue, leading to a significant number of users threatening to abandon the platform in protest.

The day following the protest and threats of user departures, Bluesky responded by announcing revisions to its terms of service and community guidelines.

In a post, the company stated that the community guidelines now explicitly prohibit users from using the platform to engage in illegal activities or cause harm to others.

Additionally, users are expected to treat others with respect, and Bluesky strictly prohibits any conduct that targets individuals based on their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation. These updates aim to reinforce a safer and more inclusive environment on the platform.

“User handles that are slur words are a form of harassment. We have deployed a change so that these handles can no longer be created in the app,” Bluesky said in a post.

This incident adds to the company’s existing criticism for its delayed response to hate speech and threats targeting marginalised groups.

“Our community guidelines published yesterday reflect our values for a healthy community, and we are working on becoming better stewards every day,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber said in a post on Saturday.

FacebookTwitterLinkedin

end of article